Author: Camper English

  • SF Cocktail Geography

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    Jay Barmann from SFist.com attended my talk at SF Chefs.Food.Wine and kept the handout. Today he's posted my categorization of nearly every type of cocktail program in the city, which is good, because formatting html is a pain. The categories I made up so don't get too hung up on them- it's just how I…

  • Cutting Corners to Make Clear Ice

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    In an ongoing set of experiments I've been trying to make clear ice at home. I've tried: Distilled vs. Tap Water Melting and refreezing water Hot Water vs. Cold Water Carbonated Water vs. Still Water Horizontal vs. Vertical Container Shapes Releasing Air Trapped in Ice With some success on the last one. While what would…

  • Making Clear Ice by Releasing Trapped Air

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    [update: after this post, I figured out the trick to making clear ice – check here for the solution.] Finally, I've got a minor success in my clear ice experiment to share. So far in an attempt to make perfectly clear ice in my home freezer, I've tried: Distilled vs. Tap Water Melting and refreezing…

  • Clear Ice and Container Shape

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    Today is Ice Day on Alcademics, so stay tuned for more exciting coverage of my ongoing experiments to make clear ice in my home freezer. So far, I've tried: Distilled vs. Tap Water Multiple melting and freezings of water Hot Water vs. Cold Water Carbonated Water vs. Still Water So far I haven't achieved… anything,…

  • Does Carbonated Water Make Clearer Ice than Still Water?

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    This is another in my ongoing experiments to make clear ice. So far, I've tried comparing: Distilled vs. Tap Water Multiple melting and freezings of water Hot Water vs. Cold Water Someone in the comments mentioned hearing that carbonated water would freeze more clearly than still water. As most of the cloudiness in ice appears…

  • Nice Ice in the News

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    The Associated Press released the following story on ice today, with a quote from your favorite icesperimentator Camper English. The whole story is here. SIP: Bartending trend calls for nice ice, baby By MICHELLE LOCKE Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Erik Adkins spends a lot of time on ice. As general manager of…

  • Does Hot Water Make Clearer Ice Than Cold?

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    I have been doing experiments at home to try to get the clearest ice possible. So far my experiments have compared: Distilled vs. Tap water Multiple melting and freezings of water I have not yet had success. Will the third time be the charm? (*Update – You might want to skip to this index page…

  • Every Day with Camper English

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    Run screaming to your local newsstand to pick up November's issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine. I have a story in the issue about how to go out drinking with your hometown friends on the night before Thanksgiving without ending up hungover when you've got to cook all the next day. Naturally, the advice…

  • Drinks With: Francisco Alcaraz of Patron Tequila

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    A few months back I had a very long lunch with Francisco Alcaraz, Paton Tequila's Master Distiller and Blender at the restaurant Kokkari in San Francisco. Alcaraz is not only the current master distiller, he created the recipe for Patron. Alcaraz studied chemical engineering at the University of Guadalajara then went to work as an…

  • A Visit to Cognac Paul Giraud

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    My final visit in the Cognac region of France was to the house of Paul Giraud- quite literally his house. In my brief visit we first learned about Giraud's philsoophy: while other houses try to use blending to get a round and multi-faceted flavor profile, Giraud tries to emphasize particular flavors in each bottling.  I…